In 2017 I landed a job in SF that led me to buying a home in East Bay to be as close to the city as possible, while far enough away that I could "escape" if need be. In November 2019 I was laid off, found a new job working from home, then the pandemic hit. I've seen about a 20% growth in equity since I bought the house, but I'm thinking the market won't necessarily continue to go up from here and if it does it won't last long. That possibility combined with the lack of things that traditionally would attract me to city life is making me run for the hills, literally. I'm heading north to find a place to rent until the housing market settles down.

I was born in San Francisco and raised in Berkeley. All of my childhood In Berkeley/Oakland of most of my adult life in SF. I am in my early 40s now and the demographic and cultural shifts I have experienced in the past 20 years Have reached the point where we simply want to get out. The work-life balance for living here has simply become too high. From our perspective things have become racially homogenous and even MORE segregated, intellectualMy overconfident, too NIMBY and we just don’t want to raise our daughter in such a competitive and macho environment. I may sound bitter but I truly believe I am not. All cities change over the course of time, SF is no different. I am very proud to have lived and learned and loved in the bay area my whole life. But that appreciation is becoming increasingly strained and we are ready to move on and try somewhere different.